CDL Requirements in Maine
Verified against Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Maine's Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) administers all CDL knowledge and skills testing itself out of its Augusta CDL Examination Section — no third-party testing program was found — and bundles the Class A, B, or C CDL examination (knowledge plus skills) into a single $70 fee, with every endorsement priced at a flat $20 regardless of type. Maine's T endorsement nominally covers double and triple trailers, but state law does not allow triple-trailer combinations at all, and a separate non-CDL '3' endorsement lets buses carrying 15 or fewer passengers operate without a full CDL. Effective September 29, 2025, Maine BMV paused all non-domiciled CDL and CLP issuance, renewals, and related transactions under federal direction, with no end date announced.
Maine's CDL requirements — including a $34 CDL fee — are verified against Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) (see Maine BMV — Drivers License and Examination Fees), current as of 2026-07-25.
Maine CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Mainespecifically — for the full step-by-step process see how to get a CDL, and for what Class A, B, and C each permit see CDL classes.
| Commercial learner’s permit (CLP) | |
|---|---|
| CLP fee | — |
| Minimum holding period before skills test | 14 days |
| CLP validity | — |
| Age minimums | |
| Intrastate minimum age | — |
| Interstate minimum age | 21 (federal floor) |
| Fees | |
| Application fee | — |
| Initial CDL fee | $34 |
| Renewal fee | $34 |
| Renewal period | 5 years (4 years if age 65 or older) |
| Knowledge test fee | — |
| Skills test fee | — |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | No |
| Retest waiting period | — |
Other published fees
- REAL ID Commercial License, under age 65 (5-year): $59
- Commercial License, age 65 or older (4-year): $27
- REAL ID Commercial License, age 65 or older (4-year): $47
- Class A, B, or C CDL examination (knowledge + skills, combined): $70
- Each endorsement examination: $20
- Converting an out-of-state CDL (application + licensing fee): $104
- Missed skills-test appointment without 48-hour cancellation notice: $70
Maine's CDL manual states the separate skills-test appointment (booked after the knowledge/vision exam) 'fulfills the federal government's required 14 day waiting period,' matching (not exceeding) the federal floor. No BMV page states a CLP validity period in months. The accompanying licensed driver required while operating on a permit must be at least 20 years old, or at least 22 if the vehicle is a bus or school bus. Only N, H, X, and T endorsements can be earned by knowledge test alone; P and S require the full skills test and can only be added once a CDL (not just a CLP) is held.
Maine's own CDL manual states drivers must be 21 to operate a bus or carry hazardous materials, consistent with the federal interstate floor. No fetched Maine BMV or statutory source states an explicit general intrastate CDL minimum age; the CDL manual's general-CMV age reference in its exemptions section reads as boilerplate that does not clearly map to intrastate CDL issuance, so intrastate age is left unset rather than guessed at 18.
All CDL knowledge and skills testing is scheduled and administered directly by BMV's CDL Examination Section in Augusta — no third-party testing program was found. Skills-test appointments are made by mailing a skills-test request card to Augusta; failing to cancel at least 48 hours ahead of a scheduled skills test triggers a $70 penalty before a new appointment can be booked, and examinations are not held on weekends or holidays. A separate CDL skills-test waiver (Form: CDL Certification for Military Even Exchange Program) lets qualifying, currently-or-recently-licensed military CMV operators skip testing entirely, though it cannot be used to transfer School Bus (S) or Passenger (P) endorsements.
Maine CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $20 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | $20 | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | $20 | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | $20 | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | $20 | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Awarded on successful completion of the knowledge exam alone; no skills test. To retain the endorsement, Maine law (29-A M.R.S. §1253(3)) requires a reexamination of the hazardous materials written test at every CDL renewal.
Tank vehicle: Awarded on successful completion of the knowledge exam alone; no skills test.
Doubles/triples: Awarded on successful completion of the knowledge exam alone; no skills test. Maine's CDL manual notes that triple-trailer combinations are not allowed in Maine even though the T endorsement's federal definition covers double/triple trailers.
Passenger: Requires the full skills test, performed in a vehicle representative of the class and type the applicant operates or expects to operate. Can only be added once a CDL (not just a CLP) is held.
School bus: For buses transporting more than 15 passengers including the driver; requires the full skills test. Successfully qualifying for the School Bus (S) endorsement also earns the Passenger (P) endorsement automatically, with no additional fee or exam. A separate, non-CDL '3' endorsement exists for school buses carrying 15 or fewer passengers (GVWR 26,000 lbs. or less), which does not require a CDL at all.
For what each endorsement permits, the federal knowledge/skills testing baseline behind it, and hazmat’s separate TSA security threat assessment, see CDL endorsements.
Federal requirements that apply in Maine
These are set by federal regulators and are the same in every US jurisdiction. Full detail here.
- Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). Since February 2022, first-time CDL applicants — and drivers upgrading to Class A or seeking a first-time school bus, passenger, or hazmat endorsement — must complete Entry-Level Driver Training with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before testing.
- DOT medical certificate. Most CDL holders who operate in interstate commerce must hold a valid DOT medical examiner's certificate, issued by an examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.
- Interstate minimum age. Federal rules set 21 as the minimum age to drive commercially across state lines; states set their own intrastate minimum, commonly 18.
- Hazmat security threat assessment. A hazardous materials endorsement additionally requires a TSA security threat assessment, which is a federal process separate from the state endorsement.
Self-certification in Maine
Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Intrastate
Maine's CDL Medical Self-Certification Form (MVE-64C) and CDL manual §1.2 both list all four FMCSA self-certification categories. Intrastate self-certifications (both excepted and non-excepted) require a 'K' restriction on the license and driving record, per 49 CFR 383.153.
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- As of September 29, 2025, and until further notice, Maine BMV has paused issuance, renewal, transfer, and duplication of non-domiciled (term-limited) Commercial Learner's Permits and Commercial Driver's Licenses, per federal direction from USDOT/FMCSA.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Maine BMV — Drivers License and Examination Fees
- Maine BMV — Commercial Driver License (CDL) Manual (PDF)
- Maine BMV — Commercial Drivers License
- Maine BMV — Commercial Drivers License Exam
- Maine BMV — Entry-Level Driver Training
- Maine BMV — License Endorsement and Restriction Codes
- Maine BMV — CDL Medical Self-Certification Form (MVE-64C, PDF)
- Maine Revised Statutes, 29-A M.R.S. §1253 — Commercial licenses
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV)